NCISLA - Season 9 Wish List
Season 9 Wish List, based on what is known and what is believed (and a little bit of what I hope may happen). This is detailed by character and leads in to the partnership, recurring characters and a little bit of wishful thinking.
Callen:
Now Callen has discovered his family, how is he coping the interactions, openness and trust that family life entails? In light of Tahir Kaled’s very personal revenge on Sam, has Callen really let down his defences to allow his family in to his life? And has he finally put Joelle’s betrayal behind him. Again those trust issues were the reasons why he was blowing hot and cold in his romance with Anna last season - has he now gotten over that? And again on a personal note, the writers should answer some more questions as to the mystery of Callen’s past, in particular how Callen and his sister arrived in America and why they were separated. Has his father revealed this off screen? Callen fans deserve more answers. On a more professional note, more details about Callen’s past careers with the DEA, FBI and CIA - especially the latter - would be very interesting.
Sam:
Having witnessed his wife’s murder, how is Sam struggling to adapt to life without her. She was his rock, the one he could download his emotions to at the end of a tough day. Will his character fundamentally change? There will certainly be short term implications which may impact his relationship with Callen. Will there be some role reversal with Callen providing the support and Sam not letting him in?
Deeks:
We know Deeks will again be embroiled in an Internal Affairs investigation, this time with his former LAPD Lieutenant Bates. What part will he play in the attempt to bring down his old boss? Misguided loyalties may cause controversy or perhaps Bates is innocent and Whiting is really just on a witch hunt. Crucially though, will this finally exonerate him from his own IA investigation? Scenes with Deeks and his mother Roberta were a revelation last season, and more of the same is bound to ensue given his engagement to Kensi. And will it ever be revealed as to why Deeks failed to mention his mother in S2, when asked about his next of kin?
Kensi:
Kensi has surely had enough trauma over recent seasons to last a lifetime so with a bit of luck she can actually knuckle down and focus on her role as an intelligent, kick ass agent. Undercover operations involving Kensi would be very much welcomed - and maybe ones that demonstrate how capable she is.
Partners:
Partner switch ups are always great fun and last season the writers had a field day, pairing up Deeks with Nell and Callen and Sam both took turns partnering Anna Kolcheck. There is still not enough Callen/Deeks pairings; the two are such differing characters with a shared bad childhood and interesting sense of humours - they deserve more screen time. An undercover operation featuring the two of them could be great fun. Kensi pairing up with Sam would be a prime opportunity for her to offer Sam advice and guidance, instead of the opposite which has occurred in previous seasons.
Mixing it up even more would be Sam and Deeks, and Callen and Kensi. The former have moved past their differences after Deeks saved Sam’s wife in S6 premier. Maybe Deeks can now help Sam move forward. Callen and Kensi frequently paired up pre-Deeks in S1 and they have great chemistry (particularly in the romantic stakes in S6 Rage).
Nell & Eric:
Nell and Eric should limit the time they have in the field to focus on supporting the field agents from the Ops centre. They excel on the intellectual and technological fronts respectively. Their romantic undercover mission last season was very tastefully done and it would be lovely to see their relationship progress but not to the detriment of the cases, undercover missions or the development of the main four agents. Oh, and keep the Eric weirdness to a minimum!
Hetty:
Hetty has a rich back story that has barely been touched and should be. Her history with Granger may never now be explored, but it would be a great way to preserve the character of Granger, by hearing snippets of their past exploits. Her (sanctioned or unsanctioned?) role in finding and training orphans would be a fascinating story and an opportunity to understand more about Callen’s later teen years and maybe to reintroduce a character such as Grace Stevens (S4) or another one of her ‘orphans’, as yet unmet. And hopefully there will not be a repeat of the now much overused plot device of Hetty resigning or retiring.
Changes:
The new Assistant Director has just been revealed as former Secret Services agent Shay Mosely (played by Nia Long). The press release states “ Mosely is an experienced Washington insider who brings an east coast style and demeanor to the west coast team.” The last east coaster to grace the OSP was DiNozzo who stood out like a sore thumb in his suit. Will she look to impose a more formal structure to the west coast team? Past seasons have demonstrated how the team resist newcomers - Deeks in late S1 and S2, Hunter in late S2 and S3, Granger from S3 onwards. It would be easy to predict that she will create tension and maybe conflict among the team, which could lead to interesting character situations and dramas. However unpredictability can be just as welcome so hopefully the writers will come up with something a little different to the norm.
Familiar Faces:
Returning guest cast members can lead to a resurrection of past storylines or help push forward the narrative. Operational Psychologist Dr Nate Getz could return to counsel Sam after the loss of his wife. Callen’s encounters with Nate have never been in a professional capacity and after S7 water boarding incident, it could be (friendly) psychological points scoring battle. Admiral Chegwidden and Sterling Bridges were interesting yet frustrating characters introduced last season - the old school provide more context for Hetty’s past however their blatant disregard for the rules was questionable, causing friction between the old school and the agents. Sabatino is still a grey character. How innocent was he in the takedown of the LA team? Again he is a character that can cause friction and division among the team. Everyone’s favourite Russian Arkady Kolcheck always adds flavour and colour to an episode. Were there to be scenes involving him, Anna, Callen and Callen’s father - it could be highly amusing (although maybe not for Callen).
Marcel Janvier:
He is Callen’s nemesis and currently safely behind bars, thousands of miles away from LA. He has promised Callen he would patiently wait to exact his revenge by destroying everything he loves. When (here’s hoping it’s not ‘if’) he returns, the writers will need to be careful they don’t follow the storyline of Tahir Kaled. Kaled took his revenge on Sam by targeting his son at military academy and obviously his wife. Janvier’s revenge should differentiate from Kaled, lest the show repeats storylines - unless of course Janvier was the one able to leak information to Kaled...which would bring us back to the mole debacle!
The Mole:
Yes, really - the mole. Has this storyline really been concluded? Who told Tahir Kaled that Sam’s family were leaving the safe house? By that point in S8 the mole(s) had been ousted and most killed. Is there someone else pulling the strings? If so then there should be no more build up to the revelation, just one almighty big bang to close out all plot holes for good!
And finally:
NCIS: Los Angeles was built on the premise of an elite team specialising in undercover work. It is rare that a long term undercover mission takes place and a three episode arc to flesh out aliases and legends would be a treat for all viewers, particularly if all four field agents were to be involved.
Hopefully these are sensible wishes without focusing too much on any one character. What would you like to see? More about Hetty’s past or maybe her comeuppance about how she manipulates her team? Do partner shakeups interest you? What would happen if Sam was forced to stay in Ops with Eric? Or would you rather see more of the Kensi and Deeks relationship, culminating in their marriage? I look forward to reading your thoughts...
